Category: Recipes

Fresh Homemade Baguettes in only 4 Hours!

Tom
fresh-baguettes
Not great slashing technique,
but still delicious!

If you crave fresh hot-out-of-the-oven baguettes, but you didn’t think it was possible to make them at home, here is the proof (see what I did there?) that not only can it be done, but it can be done relatively quickly and easily and can rival those found at the best bakeries. It’s from a great book, Local Breads, by Dan Leader. It only takes about 4 hours (much of which is just waiting around) and doesn’t require any special equipment. Give it a try when you have a little time…you won’t regret it..and as an added bonus, it makes your house smell great!

Please click here for the printable recipe.

Spicy Turkey and Kale Chili

Tom

turkey-chili-5This is our go-to weeknight chili recipe…it’s simple, relatively quick (in chili time), quite healthy and incredibly delicious. You can use all ground turkey or, as I like to do, substitute in ½ pound of spicy Italian sausage to give it a more complex flavor. Either way, you’ll love it…and it freezes really well! As with all chilis, you can add as much or as little spice as you like, but I prefer spicy! It’s the perfect dish for those fast approaching cold winter nights.

Please click here for the printable recipe.

The Secret to Perfect Pancakes – A Mathematical Solution!

Tom

Foodgawker-Pancakes-Blog-FinalI always have a problem preparing the right amount of batter for the number of pancakes I want to make. Some apparently very hungry math students from the University of Sheffield have swapped calculus for the kitchen and developed  an interactive Perfect Pancake Calculator to make the prompt preparation of perfect prize-winning pancakes a piece of cake (alliteration!). You just enter the number and thickness of the pancakes you want and it gives you the exact amounts of the ingredients you need. One minor problem…Univ. of Sheffield is in England, so the measurements are metric!

 

Where did that Cut of Beef come from and What the Hell do I do with it?

Tom

Mystified by the incredible assortment of beef cuts out there and what to do with each of them? Here is a great Cheat Sheet for Meat Treats by visually that literally breaks down the cow and gives you the name of each cut, where it comes from, an idea of how much it costs and the best method to cook it. Load this cheat sheet to your mobile phone and pull it up next time you’re shopping for meat.

Cuts of Beef

 

 

 

Everything You Can Do With a Can of Chickpeas | Serious Eats

Tom

I love chickpeas…they’re inexpensive, healthy and incredibly versatile. Awhile back I posted my favorite recipe for Crispy Roasted Garbanzo Beans, but here are some other great ways to use them, courtesy of one of my favorite websites, Serious Eats. Follow the link below to check them out.

Source: Everything You Can Do With a Can of Chickpeas | Serious Eats

Couscous Salad with Spinach in a Dijon-Orange Vinaigrette

Tom

Couscous SaladCouscous, which is often mistaken for a grain, is actually a type of pasta made from semolina and wheat flour.  Like most pastas, couscous by itself doesn’t have a lot of inherent flavor, but it’s fantastic at absorbing and enhancing the flavors of whatever it is prepared with (and you can literally prepare it in  minutes without heating up the kitchen!).  In this recipe, the couscous is made with low-fat, low-sodium chicken broth (or vegetable broth) instead of water and is then tossed in a dijon-orange vinaigrette with spinach, green onions, almonds, orange slices and garbanzo beans to make a great, light and refreshing summery main course salad.

Please click here for the printable recipe.

Crispy Spicy Oven-Baked Garlic French Fries

Tom

A few months ago I posted my favorite oven baked french fry recipe…that one was great (it was for steak-cut fries), but I’ve been experimenting with oven baked fries since then and this recipe is even better…it turns out thinner, crunchier, crisper fries with way more flavor. The secret is par baking the potatoes in the microwave for a couple of minutes in a garlicky oil and then coating them with a spicy cornstarch mixture before baking them in the oven. It sounds a lot more involved then it is…it’s actually simple, fast and definitely worth trying. It is also very forgiving, so feel free to experiment with different spices and quantities…as long as you dry the potatoes well after soaking, and keep an eye on them as they cook, they’ll  come out great. Pair the fries with a super-melty cheeseburger topped with caramelized onions and you’ll never want to go out for burgers and fries again, ’cause it doesn’t get an better than this.

Please click here for the printable recipe.

Summer’s Here and the Time is Right…for Fruity Yogurt Smoothies

Tom

It’s finally summer, so it’s time once again for the best breakfast ever…Healthy Fruit Smoothies. The great thing about the following technique is that you can substitute just about any fruits and juices that you like…it’s all good.  For this Hawaiian smoothie, I took fresh picked papayas and bananas, cut them into chunks and froze them overnight. To make the smoothie, put about a cup of frozen papaya chunks, a cup of frozen banana pieces, 6 oz. of your favorite blueberry yogurt (I use Dannon) into a blender and add about 3/4 cup of V8 Splash (available everywhere…I use Tropical Blend, but any flavor you prefer will do). Pulse the blender for about 30 seconds, and if necessary, give it a quick stir (make sure the blades have stopped!), and repeat a few times. If it appears too thick at this point you can take the top off the blender while it’s running (make sure all the fruit has been pureed before you do this or you may end up wearing some smoothie) and slowly pour in a little more Splash until you see a vortex begin to form in the center-you’ll know what I mean when you see it happen-and the Smoothie will have a perfect consistency. If you love peanut butter like I do, you can add a heaping tablespoon (I prefer chunky) and blend for a couple of seconds more…it’s incredible!  For convenience, you can buy bags of chunked frozen fruit just about anywhere. I love the Costco brand..it has peaches, strawberries, pineapple and honeydew and comes in a 6 lb. bag. The secret, though, to a really great smoothie is the frozen bananas (I always keep a baggie full of frozen banana chunks in the freezer)…that’s what gives it the amazingly creamy consistency.

Tip of the Day – Save Your Parmesan Rinds

Tom

parmesan rindAfter you’ve grated your block of Parmesan right down to the hard rind, don’t you dare throw it out. Place it in a plastic bag and stick it in the freezer. Next time you make stew, soup or spaghetti sauce, just toss in a big chunk of rind as it’s cooking, and that great intense, salty unique Parmesan flavor will infuse the sauce…just don’t forget to remove it before serving! If you do forget, please click here immediately. 🙂